Ladder



F. M. DE sAussunE, n.

LADDER. i APPLICATIONHLED DEC. l i919 I 15341,'707. l Patented June 1, 1920.

` 2 SHEETS-SHEET I. 25.

F. M. DE SAUSSURE', Jn.

LADDER.

APPucAIloN FILED DEc.1. 1919.

Patented June 192.0.l

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ist. 7

Nro/mers WIT/'VESSES UNITED STATS PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK MON GIN DE SAU'SSURE, JR., 0F GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA.

LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1920.

Application filed December 1, 1919. Serial No. 341,567.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK MONGIN DE SAUssURn, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Greenville, in the county of Greenville and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Ladders, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to ladders and more particularly to folding ladders especially those in which the side rails are swingable by virtue of pivoted rungs toward and away from one another, one object among others being the provision of means automatically acting in connection with a supporting surface whereby to lock the side rails of the ladder section in nonshiftable relation when engaged with asupporting surface either in a horizontal line or upon more or less of an incline.

Other objects relating for the most part to minor structural details as well as the resulting advantages of my invention will apn pear in the course of the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is a rear elevation with the parts in extended operative position,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts folded,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the ladder portion,

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section therethrough,

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the side braces connecting the ladder and prop sections, l l

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the complete ladder in theopen position,V

Fig. 7 is an elevation of the lower end of the ladder section, 4 f

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken throng one side rail of the ladder section on line 8 8 of Fig. 7 and Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7, with the parts in partly folded position. f

Referring now to these figures, mypresent invention as in certain applications pre'- viously filed by me, includes a ladder section 10 and a prop section 11, particular ref- Qsecured upon the rear faces of the side rails are slotted for the reception of a securing bolt and nut 16.

' To the upper portions of the side legs 12 are pivoted the upper ends 17 of crossed pivoted braces 18 whose lower pivots 19 run in slots 2O at the lower free ends of the legs, so that the legs are thus adapted to pivot in the brackets 13 toward and away from the ladder section and are also adapted, by virtue of the particular connection of braces 18, for movement toward and away from one another.

The slide rails 14 of the ladder section 10 have inner lengthwise grooved faces as best seen in Figs. 3 and 4, and within their grooves 21 the ends of the rungs 22 are pivoted, the upper rung 22a, as seen by a comparison of Figs. 1 and 2 being intermediately connected to and rigid with the top step 23.

Thus the side rails 14 are swingable into and out of the folded position shown in Fig. 2 upon the pivoted connections of the rungs 22, and it is obvious that they are shiftable in the same manner with respect to one another in order that their lower ends may uniformly engage an uneven or inclined` supporting surface.

cured 'to the rear face ofv one Vofthe side.

rails 14 and whose lower kangular' end 26 iS of the lock plate 24.

rlhe upper end of the latch plate* 29 is also cut away on an angle and its angular end surface 31 has teeth for engagement with the'toothed portion 32 of the rlower edge; of a lever 33. This toothed lower edge ofy lever 33 is formed adjacent to one end thereof which carries a pivot pin 34 slidable in the lengthwise slot 25 of the locking plate 24 between the upper toothed end 31 of the latch plate and al locking piece 35 having a clamping bolt and nut 86 extending through the slot 25 of the locking plate and slidable therein when loosened. This locking piece 35 has a toothed surface 37 engageable with the upper angular toothed edge 38 of lever 33 adjacent to its pivot S4, the opposite end of this lever 33 being pivoted at 39 to the other rail 14 of the ladder section so as to extend at an angle when the side rails l14 are in their spaced apart effective position.

The latch 'plate 29 is freely slidable so that by suddenly elevating the respective side rail 14of the ladder section, the latch plate,r whose `lower end in the uppermost positiondepends slightly below the lower end of the respective side rail, will slide downwardly free from engagement with the lever?) and thus permit the toothed end of this lever to drop away from the locking pieceY 35.' lIn thisway, upward movement of the siderail 14 to which the locking plate 24 is secured, may be. continued if it is desiredto fold the side rails against oneanother. j i

Normally with the side rails 14 in engaged relation upon an even` supporting surface,

i the. parts assume theaposition ofFig. 7,

latch plate 29 beingforced` upwardly against the toothed end of. lever 33 so as to effectivelylock the same between the latch' plate and'thej latch: piece 35.

which the locking plate 24 is secured if elevated above the other side rail upon an unevenor inclined supporting surface and that if it is desired to secure the parts in locked orlbraced position with one l of 'the siderailsabovethe llevel' of the other, the locking piece 35 maybe dropped intheslot 25 of the :locking plate 24 and secured .by its boltand screw. 36 i-n.

other; adj usted` parts...

proper relation to the.

. includ-ing side rails, rungsfpivotallyfcon# tween the same and the head of the bolt to avoid rattling.

It is to be plainly seen in Fig. 3 that the opposite offset end of each brace is connected to the prop section, and it is thusv obvious the prop section is freely movable upon its pivots in the brackets 13 toward and away from the ladder section, either with or without'greater spread of its lower free ends'than their-normal spreading by the adjustment of the pivoted lateral brace i5, i5.

Then in the folded or collapsed position shown in Fig. 2, the propand ladder Isections are latched by means of a spring latch plate146 seen clearly in Fig. 2, whose extending portion has an opening for the reception of a pin 47 projecting laterally from one of the side rails 14 of the ladder section, so that in its folded or collapsible position, the complete ladder'may be carried by Y a supporting surface to lock the railsof'the ladder section against relative swinging movement, when once placed in uniform engagementnpon an uneven or' inclined surface.

Attention is also calledto the `type of this locking device whereby itfmay be shaken y freeby quick-lifting of one of the side rails so that without botheringv to: loosen set screws,-nuts and the like, the ladder section with the prop secti on and collapsed.

I'claimzf 1. A ladder offthe character described, including..sidel rails, rungs pivotally vconmay be read-ily folded nectedl to the side rails to permit the ylatter to Vswing toward andaway from one another in parallel relation, and connections between the side rails lfor securing thesame inv various` spaced positions between full open rand closed positions.

2; A ladder of thev character described,

nected to the side rails to permit the latter to swing toward and away from one another in parallel relation, and connections between the side rails for securing the same in various spaced positions between full open and closed positions, said means including a controlling latch shiftable into and out of effective position upon engagement with and removal from a supporting surface.

3. A ladder` of the character described, comprising side rails, rungs pivotally connecting the side rails for swinging movement toward and away from one another7 a lever having pivotal connection at its opposite end with the side rails and a sliding latch on one of the said rails freely movable into and out of engagement with one end of the lever and arranged to extend at one end beyond the respective ground engaging end of its side rail.

4L. A ladder comprising side rails, rungs pivotally connected to the side rails, a lever pivotally connected at one end to one of the side rails, and having upper and lower toothed edges at its opposite end, a slotted plate secured to the other side rail and through the slot of which the toothed end of the lever has a running pivot, a toothed locking piece, slidable with respect to the locking plate above the lever, and a latch plate having sliding connection through the slot of the locking plate below the toothed lever, said latch, plate having an upper toothed end and having its lower end projecting beyond the respective ground engaging end of its side rail as described.

5. A ladder of the character described, comprising side rails, rungs pivoted to the side rails, a locking plate on one of the side rails, a lever pivoted at one end to the locking plate and at its opposite end to the other side rail, a latch plate slidable with respect to the locking plate below the lever and a locking piece slidable with respect to the locking plate above the lever.

6. A ladder of the character described, comprising side rails, rungs pivoted to the side rails, a locking plate on one of the side rails, a lever pivoted at one end to the locking plate and at its opposite end to the other side rail, a latch plate slidable with respect to the locking plate below the lever and a locking piece slidable with respect to the locking plate above the lever, the said lever, said latch plate and said locking piece having relatively engaging toothed portions, as described.

7. A ladder of the character described, comprising side rails, rungs pivoted to the side rails, a locking plate on one of the side rails, a lever pivoted at one end to the locking plate and at its opposite end to the other side rail, a latch plate slidable with respect to the locking plate below the lever and a locking piece slidable with respect to the locking plate above the lever, one end of said latch plate projecting beyond the respective ground engaging end of its side rail and means for adjustably securing the locking piece on the locking plate, as described.

8. A device of the character described, including a ladder section, having side rails7 a prop section having side legs, brackets secured lengthwise of the rear faces of the side rails of the ladder section within which the side legs of the prop section are pivoted adjacent to one end, and an adjustable lateral brace between the side legs of the prop section adjacent to their opposite ends and at right angles thereto, said brackets being inclined with respect to the longitudinal axes of the side rails of the ladder section to permit of adjustably spreading the braced ends of the side legs.

FRANK MONGIN DE SAUSSURE, JR. 

